Parenthood
by Lumari
Summary: A direct sequel to "Hearts to Heart." A human woman and her sangheili husband have waited for a long time to become parents, and finally that day has come at long last. It won't be easy, but Shen and Daen are determined to be the very best parents they can be, and represent what it truly means to be a family. Human x Sangheili relations, fluff, drama.
1. Chapter 1

**Parenthood**

The call had come in the early afternoon, on a Saturday, when both Daen and Shen were at home. They had been preparing lunch together, Daen deftly chopping vegetables on the counter with Shen arranging meat in the casserole dish.

Shen had been on her tiptoes, searching the spice cabinet for garlic a moment later, when she heard the phone chime.

She tossed her apron onto the counter, swiping the beef juice off onto it. She smiled at Daen before making her exit, "I got it sugar, keep chopping!"

Daen merely grunted something in response, too focused on decimating the population of vegetables before him. When he was involved in anything, it mostly had his full attention. He was not the best at juggling multiple things at once. Shen was the opposite, and she believed this made them an even more balanced couple.

Human and alien traits aside.

Shen spun a little on the smooth floor as she ran into the living room from the kitchen, perfectly comfortable in her soft flats. When Daen didn't land on them with his large feet, that is. The last time that happened, he had broken two of the toes on her left foot, and in his attempt to drive them to the hospital, loudly apologetic, had nearly smashed the vehicle into the post office.

All couples had their differences, but a full grown sangheili male had Shen making careful baby steps…quite literally. Since being married they had remodeled much of their home, with a bathroom for each of them, one specifically for his alien anatomy, and less doors overall for more open spaces.

Hazard free zone. Two people in perfect harmony. _Most_ days.

Shen grabbed the receiver from the stand on the counter near the television. She answered with a casual hello, wondering if it was her aunt again, who wouldn't stop talking about ideas for the upcoming holiday season. And whether Daen preferred turkey or ham. (Truth be told, he liked eating anything, and Shen teased him mercifully that he was getting rounder daily)

Why celebrate Thanksgiving on an alien planet anyway? The Shivan colony held many traditional values originating on Earth and Shen found it disappointing that they couldn't just make up new holidays. It was just humanity looking for more opportunities to stuff their faces. She couldn't deny she liked a good turkey leg though.

"Hello?" Shen piped into the phone.

"We have a match, Mrs. Edoom." Gloria. Their adoption agent.

Shen drew a quick breath, and held it.

Their mission to find the third member of their little family. That day was here. Now. It was finally happening, and she was _awake_ this time.

Shen couldn't hold back the tears that burned and rolled down her face. The sound that escaped her mouth was nonsensical, but the joy on her face was clear. Vibrant with emotion.

"Gloria? Really? Please, don't just be that voice in my head again, telling me what I want to hear." Shen hurriedly used her free hand to wipe the tears tickling her nose, pressing the phone close, in a grip that shook. She was too excited to be still, she was almost dancing on her toes!

It was happening! She and Daen…they were going to be parents! It had taken over a year, but that day was here. They had fought so hard for it, it was hard won, but won at last.

"Congratulations, you two." Gloria said kindly, but hesitated a moment later. "I know you both have been desperate for a chance, but I'd like you to meet the child before you make any big decisions."

"Yes, yes, absolutely yes!" Shen squealed. "I don't care if he…she? It's…purple, or spotted, or has my granddad's nose! We want him, her…what is it? I don't care, I'm just so happy, I'm crying Gloria. I'm like a water fountain. Shit…"

Shen sniffed, pulling the phone away to pull her blouse up over her nose. She was an emotional train wreck, a bubbly mess, but it was what she had been praying for, both of them, for so long…

Daen chose at that moment to walk into the room, as always the concerned husband. "What's wrong Shen?"

"Just a moment Gloria, I have to tell Daen." Shen pressed the phone to her trembling chest, taking in quick breaths that barely caught up to her excited babbling. "Daen! We're going to be parents!"

At this last proclamation, she hopped up on her toes, very nearly dropping the phone. As she clapped both hands across her breast to catch it, her husband bounded across the space between them and snatched her up by her hips.

She squealed as he pulled her up to him, her legs swinging to latch around his waist. He released a roar that was both a war cry and a laugh, and she joined him.

00oo00oo00oo00

Shen couldn't stop talking as she drove down the highway, very nearly running off the road a few times.

"What do you think they will be like? We'll have to buy all their favorite foods. Fuck, what if it's a baby? Oh my gosh, Dean, would they let us have a baby? What do we feed it?"

"Can you lactate, urm—Nurse _,_ it?" Daen suggested. "You are a mammal…"

Shen looked at him and snorted. "I'm not a smoothie machine, they don't come pre-filled. You have to get knocked up first, hormones and stuff, and since we defy the natural order of things, that aint' happening babe."

"And I like my tits as they are, thank you. Do you want these things to hit the ground?" She finished.

Daen rolled his eyes, something he had also learned from Shen, who was now humming off tune and tapping her nails against the steering wheel. Giddy with the news, and slightly impaired at the moment, another vehicle honked as they took a quick turn to the next lane.

Shen casually flipped them off as they continued down another exit. She was driving badly, but at this moment, she could give less than a damn. She was on cloud nine. Nothing could bring her down.

They were both excited, and maybe even a little scared. Daen remembered the monstrous males in his keep, the hard duties placed on the mothers, who were treated more like breeders and servants than mothers or wives. He wondered what kind of child he could rear.

If the child could ever call him father, and mean it truly. He wanted that. He found he liked the idea very much. None of the distance of Uncle, but the connection of a father and son…maybe daughter.

Daen knew, true to both hearts, that he would love them for whatever they were.

Soon they were pulling into the sparsely populated lot in front of the tall white building that housed the Dresden Children's Services Department. The only one that would even offer them a chance at parenthood.

A year of waiting, of praying, and finally…a child.

Shen didn't even bother locking their vehicle, she had already dashed halfway up the steps into the building before Daen caught up with her, impressed at how speedy those small human legs could be.

Across the marble floor and straight to the desk, the people in the waiting room all grew silent as Daen followed Shen to the counter. Sangheili were still few in this part of the city, and were often met with prejudice and fear, to Shen's disappointment.

If they knew Daen, saw the soul instead of the beast they assumed, they would understand, but until then, Shen would not stop standing with him. Aware of the eyes on them, Shen quickly moved to grab one of Daen's fingers, tugging him close.

He turned her hand into his palm, squeezing it gently.

Shen heard a hushed whispering behind them, but made no move to shoot them a dirty look. She refused to let them ruin her day. She was far too happy to give a shit anyway. Shen knew by Daen's gentle squeeze of her hand that he was in the same position.

The woman at the desk looked up.

"Edoom. Mr.…Mrs..." Shen said quickly, her face filling with a smile.

The secretary fortunately, seemed more reasonable and polite than the other humans in the room, and merely smiled back, her eyes switching from the both of them with equal respect. "You are expected Mrs. Edoom, Mr. Edoom. Just head on back to room 13, Gloria is waiting with him."

Shen gasped, squeezing Daen's finger. She looked at him with wet eyes. "Him! It's a little boy Daen. Oh damn it, I'm crying again." Shen laughed, wiping the blur from her vision.

Daen's mandibles splayed out, and came back together in a sealed sangheili smile. A son. They would have a son.

He could almost keen in the joy of it, yearning to release a glass shattering cry of his elation. It was almost too much, he could feel his two hearts pounding together like drums.

They kept their composure as they walked past the desk into the roomy corridor beyond.

Room thirteen. Shen hoped that number wouldn't have any negative connotations, but shook those thoughts away. It was too brilliant a day for that level of pessimism. This was going to be perfect, this was all they had wanted for so long after all.

Room 13, to their left. She moved to knock on the door. Shen realized she was loud, but she could care less. She couldn't see through the tiny fogged window in the door, only lights and shadows, and was desperate to meet the newest member of their family.

Shen's heart flew into her throat when the door opened and a widely smiling Gloria welcomed them inside. Her eyes immediately searched the space behind the woman. She lost her smile at what she found, well, _didn't_ find.

"He's getting changed. He was a bit excited too." Gloria said at the look of disappointment on Shen's face. "He'll be with us again shortly, for now, take a seat."

"Changed?" Shen's heart raced as she sat down hard at the table in the center of the room. White plastic, a portable one that moved a foot as Daen pushed his legs under it. "Is…he…?"

Gloria smiled. "He's almost a year old now. Still a babe. That's not a problem, is it?"

"No!" Shen almost yelled, and her face flushed as her voice bounced off the walls. She continued in a normal volume, "We can do it. We want to do it. I mean, we've been waiting for so long."

Gloria took her hand from across the table, and Shen smiled at the older woman's gesture. Gloria was very personable and kind. It was thanks to her that they were even getting this opportunity.

Shen wiped another tear that had strayed past her lashes. "I'm sorry, just a bit emotional. My face is probably a puffy wreck." She laughed wetly, sniffling as she pressed a hand to her nose.

"I'm happy for the both of you." Gloria said warmly. "However, I don't think you expected this particular match. We were surprised ourselves, but we believe that you two are the best family for him."

Shen laughed, wiping moisture off onto a sleeve. "How do you think?"  
Gloria had no time to answer, as at that moment the door creaked open and a woman stepped in with a large bundle of white cloth in her arms.

They stood, Daen lifting the table off its legs for a solid minute as he sought his feet. Shen and Daen stood side to side, and three hearts rang out in unison as the woman carrying the newest member of their small family, strode forward.

The woman hesitated for a moment, pushing the bundle up again in her arms, and they heard a slight sound as she did so. Shen had to keep from jumping forward to see their son. The suspense was killing her, and she heard Daen inhale raggedly as his gaze drew them forward.

"He's a bit heavy." The other woman gave them a crooked smile, looking a bit uncertain, as she stopped in front of them. She also seemed a little disturbed in how her eyes kept dropping back to the burden she carried, a bit clumsily.

Shen was tempted to race forward and grab for him, certain some mishap would happen and he would drop to the ground. She was already a concerned mother, and she hadn't even held him yet. Damn, she wanted to hold him so badly…

"One quick thing..." Gloria said, a little hesitantly. "He's-"

Suddenly an arm in the bundle of cloth reached out, disturbing the folds, and a face peered out at them with large dark eyes blinking wetly in the white light of the room.

Wide appendages reached out, as if testing the air, and Shen recognized the movement immediately. This was unexpected. Shen felt and heard Daen suck in a wavering breath, his arm leaning against her heavily.

"Sangheili."

00oo00oo00oo00

"Here you go, he's a little heavier than our babes, but he's still pretty manageable at this size." The attendant holding the infant, moved forward shifting him forward gently. Shen inhaled quickly, knees wobbling a bit as his weight filled her arms.

Shen's eyes couldn't leave him, this sangheili baby that gazed up at her with tiny mandibles reaching. He watched her with wide dark eyes, so expansive she could see her reflection in them. He disturbed the cloth around him a bit as he kicked out a small foot, two fat toes flexing.

Shen's eyes met Daen's and she could feel moisture beading in her eyes as she saw his expression too. They both wanted him. He was a surprise, but she couldn't deny that she had wanted him desperately on sight.

She had never seen an infant sangheili and all at once she was joyful and terrified. What would it need from her to be healthy? How were sangheili young different than human? Did they eat solid food? She could see little white nubs, teeth perhaps, in the folds of his mandibles.

This was going to be a learning experience, but damn if they weren't excited to begin this process. Being parents. It was overwhelming, and Shen had to remind herself that she was carrying their baby in her arms and that passing out would be an awful start to motherhood.

"What do you think?" Gloria asked, breaking the silence.

"He's perfect." Shen blurted out, at the same time Daen uttered a noise.

"Yes." Daen continued. He took in a deep breath, and Shen watched him look at the baby with something akin to longing in the depths of his gaze. "He is perfect."

Daen stepped to her side and reached out a hand. The infant had been making small breathy noises, which had been starting to concern Shen, but had grown silent at the sight of Daen's fingers.

After a long moment, the babe made a warbling noise, and the Daen released a gasp like breath as the infant reached out its own tiny hand, long fingers grabbing out.

Shen felt a smile break across her face as they met halfway. Afterwards she held out the little guy, and Daen eagerly moved to receive him. Her husband closed off his mandibles in a smile as the baby smacked his hand against his arm.

Gloria cleared her throat and Shen looked back to the woman who had brought their family together.

"I have some information for you two, some pamphlets and health panels. I don't know how much your husband knows about rearing young sangheili, but we are certain you two are the best fit for him." Gloria held out a folder she had retrieved off the desk. Shen took it from her, surprised at the weight of the paper within. She shuffled it a bit in her grip as the papers began to slip through the fold.

"Thanks so much Gloria." Shen said. "You don't know how much this means to me, to the both of us."

Gloria smiled, "I'm glad you two seem taken with him, it's unfortunate that he has no relatives to turn to, but I don't believe genes make the family. You two will be excellent parents, I'm sure of it."

Shen frowned. Relatives? Didn't sangheili typically operate in family centers? "Why wouldn't they want him?" She asked. "He seems healthy."

Gloria sighed. "There are still sangheili joining religious sects and causing problems for their families. His family was split between those who wished to overthrow the Arbiter's ideals and those who preferred peace. His father tried to stop the fighting, but it escalated and in the chaos, his parents were killed. The remaining kin, all uncles, refused him."

Shen wondered if there would ever be peace on Sangheilios. They had been fighting for decades, but conflict continued. There was news weekly of bands of Daen's people fighting one another for land, for pride, for dead gods who inspired nothing but ruin.

The baby clicked its mandibles again, and this time Shen could see points shining in his maw. Teeth, so he would be able to eat solid food. How often did they feed?

"He doesn't have a name, and I can't disclose his family name for security reasons." Gloria sighed. "So there is that."

Shen and Daen shared a look. A name. They would be making a lot of big decisions today. What kind of name would suit him best, what would honor him in both alien and human society?

"We will select a name." Daen said. "A good name."

"It might take some brainstorming." Shen agreed, "But yes, we will make it a good one."

Gloria laughed. "You two seem ready to go, but would you like us to keep him until you're ready?"

"We are ready." Shen's words gusted out with her breath, the idea of being apart from him, now that they were together, made her anxious. "We've been ready for so long. His room is set up. But, will he need a crib? He's so young…" Shen pinched her fingers together, spinning her wedding ring against her thumb. She hadn't imagined they would get a baby. They hadn't wanted to trust them with an older child, so it had seemed an impossible dream to be given a baby…

Of course, neither of them had expected this. A sangheili baby certainly didn't appear as fragile as a human infant, but Shen still felt her heart thud into her throat at the sense of immense responsibility placed upon her shoulders. How could she raise him right when she wasn't even the kind of mother he was born to? What if she messed him up…somehow?

"Are you alright Shen?" Daen's voice pulled her from the pit of her thoughts. She hadn't realized she had been staring into space.

"Yeah, sorry. Just a little nervous. He's wonderful, but I'm afraid I don't know anything about babies, and not just alien ones."

Gloria chuckled, moving to place a hand on her shoulder. "I remember my first baby. Little Gregory, he was a time bomb kicking at my ribs like a hammer, but when he was out, you couldn't tear that babe away with a pry bar." The woman smiled. "You are ready Shen. This is just another new experience. You'll do just fine, both of you will be amazing parents. I wouldn't have called if I didn't believe so."

Shen wiped at her eyes with the back of her free hand, moving to slide the folder under one arm. "Thank you Gloria. You've been so wonderful. We love him, and we will do our best to raise him right."

"I know you will." Gloria said. "Now you two have some paperwork to fill out."

Shen smiled. "Then we can take him home, now, right?"

"You bet."

Shen drew in a long breath and moved to Daen's side again to stare at the newest member of their family. The infant was still in his arms, unmoving but for the slight twitch of his tiny mandibles, fluttering lightly with each small breath.

"He's tired." Daen said, seeing something that Shen felt sad she couldn't see yet.

"I guess we better finish up here then." Gloria said and motioned for Shen to sit down. "I'll need you to sign a few things, and you're free to go."

00oo00oo00oo00

They were using a car seat on loan from Gloria, and encountered the first problem they had so far since leaving the office.

He was not screaming, per say, and that much surprised Shen, but what he was doing wasn't inspiring much confidence in her as a new mother.

"What if he's sick Daen?" Shen asked again, and she knew by the look he cast her way, that he was going to just repeat himself.

"He is fine." Daen insisted, once more.

The sound continued and Shen looked at the mirror at the front of their vehicle for the twelfth time on the road. They were almost home, but damn if her nerves weren't fried already.

The baby was currently gnashing his mandible's together loudly in-between making short hissing sounds. She could glimpse his little legs bucking against the seat they had strapped him into, his long fingers prying at the soft bar across his torso.

"He's so upset." Shen moaned. "Dammit, why haven't they released teleportation mechanics for the public? I know it exists."

Daen laughed gruffly. "He is fine, let him vent. A little tantrum isn't going to kill him."

Shen blanched at the idea of their baby dying. She couldn't keep a damn houseplant alive, and now they had a baby?

 _Calm down Shen. You can do this._

Music would have helped her nerves, but she refused to turn on the radio. She didn't want to miss anything if the baby really was going to choke on his own breath or something. Dammit she was getting paranoid again…

Shen couldn't exit the car fast enough when they reached home.

She opened the car door gingerly, and…stood there.

Daen was already moving around the back of the vehicle, and looked at the still presence of his wife. "Shen? Would you like me to carry him?"

She stepped back quickly, almost tripping over her own heels. Flushing more so with frustration at her clumsiness, Shen nodded slowly. "I might drop him on the way up the stairs." She replied sourly.

Daen chuckled but moved past her to unbuckle their son from his seat. The little one's mandibles were still gnashing about, but he made a small whistling sound when he was pulled free from the seat and into Daen's arms.

The larger male sangheili brushed his lower mandibles across the little one's head, and the babe quieted.

Shen blinked as Daen closed the car door with a hip and moved towards their house. She moved ahead to open the door to their home, staring curiously as the now silent baby in her husband's arms.

"What did you do?" She asked.

Daen stopped at the door. "It is genetic memory. When we are childings, we are calmed by the presence of mandibles, at the neck more specifically. Ancient females used to carry infants in their jaws. It was a survival mechanic of sorts."

Shen smirked. "Any sexual implications?"

"Naughty woman, already working to corrupt our son." Daen shot back.

"Nah, that's your job, _daddy_."

They entered their home, and both hesitated in the doorway. Shen stepped towards the living room, and turned to frown at Daen. "So…has he been fed you think? We should probably have asked beforehand." She laughed awkwardly. Perhaps she should have asked more questions before they left…well, shit.

Daen lifted their son up and regarded him silently for a long moment. Shen wasn't sure what he was looking for, but then she saw him rubbing the baby sangheili's stomach lightly with one finger.

The baby made a warbling sound, kicking out his small legs in response.

"He feels full." Daen said. "Childings don't eat quite as often as human infants, just two large meals should be fine."

"I'd like to see you stick by that rule." Shen teased.

"Dammit woman."

They decided to spend time with the newest member of their family on the sofa, Daen settling down gently, moving his son to rest against his belly. He then proceeded to rest his head over the childing, and in response, the infant rubbed his head at the lower set.

"He is so cute." Shen sighed. "Do you think he will like me as a mom? I mean, I don't know what kind of instincts mothers even have. I mean, not that it would have magically occurred if you knocked me up…ugh I don't know."

Daen stretched his arm across the back of the sofa, pulling Shen close. She allowed him to move her, but grabbed at his leg as he tried to pull her onto his lap with their new son.

"I'm not going to sit on… _name_. Daen, we can't keep calling him, _him_."

"I've realized that." Daen said. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I don't want to screw him up with a terrible name, but honestly, I've probably gone through a hundred names in my head. All shitty."

Daen shook his head. "I'm sure they are fine, let me hear a few."

Shen gave him a long look. "I'm prepared for a long stream of rejections."

"Shen…"

"Okay, fine."

She sucked in a wavering breath, swiping hair off an ear. "Let's see…uh. Leon, Everett, um, Caleb? I know they're awful, but…"

"No." Daen said softly. "I quite like the sound of them. The one is similar to Kalen. To my people, it can mean enduring or stalwart."

"Kalen." Shen said, testing it slowly on her tongue. She did like the sound of it. She wasn't sure what it meant in any human languages, but knowing that it was a positive name for a sangheili child, that was good. "I like it."

Daen craned his neck, pulling her close. She let him bring her face to his own, and she sighed as he brushed his closed mandibles against her chin, his dark eyes igniting desire in her own. They hadn't been intimate for a good week now, busy with autumn cleanup and odd hours at work. It would probably even more of an issue with junior now.

Kalen…it was a very good name.

Shen felt his hand move to brush up against her thigh and she pushed herself up to allow his fingers purchase at her hip, planting her lips against the flat of his upper mandibles. She felt him slip down to cup her rear and laughed under his jaw.

"Not in front of our son, _daddy_."

"Dirty girl." Daen said in a shaming voice, although his eyes twinkled with another emotion. "I'm sure we will have time for you later, but for now—"

Shen wrinkled her nose, as he pulled Kalen up close to them. Oh shit.

Literally.

"Didn't he just go at the office?" She asked, sitting back with a small huff. Way to break the mood. That was motherhood for you.

Daen chuckled darkly. "There is much you don't know about childings dear heart."

"Oh… _oh_. Fuck me."

 **New story! Yeah, yeah, I realize I have some I haven't finished yet. More than some, but this has been in the brain for a while, and I consider this a direct sequel to "Hearts to Heart," featuring my characters from that story and their continued relationship.**

 **Yes, there will be some fun lemony action eventually, but I will make room for that in another story, as I'm trying to keep this one Teen rated, so it's more accessible in the archive to a wider audience.**

 **Let me know how you guys like this idea, or if you have any feedback. Reviews create positive feelings, usually, so help generate some of that creative energy for me guys.**

 **Until next time, thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Parenthood Ch.2**

Once they had changed little Kalen—the act a terrific struggle considering he had a pair of strong legs on him, Shen had passed the tiny sangheili to his father.

Daen held him close to his chest, speaking with thrumming alien words, something that sounded almost sweet from what she could make of it. His lingual interests had gotten him a job in the colony, and allowed the two of them to meet. Realizing the one-sidedness of it all, she sometimes felt guilty that she didn't try harder to learn his own tongue.

Maybe they could learn together. Kalen could connect to his roots, and Shen could close the small gaps between her and Daen.

There was something truly beautiful in being in this moment, finally having a complete circle. A complete family. Being a mom.

Shen sighed as she stepped through the threshold into the kitchen, tousling the hair at the back of her neck. She felt tired, but happy. Happy tired. She felt light on her feet, and cheerful in a soft, lax sort of way. It was a good feeling.

Then there was the faint smell of food and she was also reminded of her biological needs as her tummy gave a little rumble. She patted the flat of her stomach absentmindedly. _Whoops._

They had left in the middle of lunch prep, so most likely it was all garbage, spoiled. She blew air out through her lips and moved to clean up the mess. They would probably have to order Chinese food for the night. Daen would probably order something that wouldn't agree with him again, and then that would be another issue.

At least if you happened to share a bed.

Bed…Shen still had to get that situation figured out. The small bed they had in the spare room would not work for an infant. They would need to acquire a crib. The thought of their new baby rolling out of bed and cracking his noggin made her queasy.

Shen placed dishes into the sink and pulled open the cabinet with the trash bin. She dumped in the spoiled meat and mess of vegetables. Chinese it was. She didn't feel up to doing the dishes right now.

When she was finished with cleanup, Shen ventured back to the living room and was surprised to see that Kalen was sitting on the floor. Daen stood over him, their child framed in his shadow.

"Shen." Daen said when he saw her. "He has found a way to entertain himself. Come see."

Shen walked closer until she could see Kalen from the front, and saw that he was carrying an object between his slender fingers.

She laughed when she saw what it was. "My hairbrush."

The baby was currently smacking the brush against the floor. Kalen's long head was turned down, his mandibles still in concentration. He seemed eager to test the hardiness of the item, and Shen was surprised when his arm came down harder, the brush head thudding against the thin carpet.

"He will be a fine warrior, won't he?" Daen said proudly. "A strong arm on our son."

"Warrior?" Shen rolled her eyes. "Let's not encourage violence hon."

Daen snorted. "You used to think it was sexy."

"So we're molding a little Casanova then?" Shen teased.

"What does that mean?"

"Later hon."

He was still adapting to human culture and its mess of cultural randomness. She would have to host another movie night, maybe invite some of his sangheili friends for laughs. That or hear criticism from his more argumentative friends, who thought most human videos were stupid and a waste of time.  
She shook her head at the thought. They would probably just end up talking all night about the absurdity of human media. The closest the sangheili had to public entertainment were fights, called burn blade tourneys. Pretty much classic sangheili interest in slicing each other into ribbons. That or cliff jumping or hunting both prey and predatory animals.

Usually three times their size even. Humans were puny in comparison, but Sangheili seemed to manage just fine. They had, after all, time to adapt to their own world.

She had to admit, the image was kind of hot. Daen like some kind of sexy warrior wearing the hides of his prey, wielding a spear or some kind of shining blade at his back.

Shen smiled and shook her head at the thought of their little man, their Kalen, hunting wild beasts, then returned to the topic at hand. "So I guess we need to figure out the sleeping arrangement?"

Daen's third eyelid flashed in a subtle blink. "Kalen? With us of course."

Shen frowned. "What? He can't. You'll roll over on him."

"We share a bed, do I roll onto you?"

"He- _he's small_!" She spluttered.

Daen only chuckled, bending down to stroke a finger across Kalen's smooth head. The childing didn't seem to notice, continuing to test the brush against the floor. "He will be fine sleeping between us, like being in a solid keep. Walled in."

"Human infants don't typically sleep with their parents, they're really fragile." Shen told him. She was worried about every aspect of parenthood. Kalen didn't seem human-fragile, but he was still just a baby.

"Wouldn't that be more of a reason to keep them close?" Daen asked. "It seems strange to place a little one so far from the arms of their caretaker."

"I guess." Shen sighed. "I probably won't be able to sleep though."

"The only issue would be if we were to mate." Daen said thoughtfully.

Shen couldn't help laughing. "Quiet you."

"It has been some time. I believe I'm forgetting exactly what you look like naked." Daen continued with a smirk on his mandibles. He was a naughty boy as always. That was one thing about him that drove Shen crazy…that and he had double the abdominal muscles of a human man.

She knew how to pick them. Daen was a stud.

Of course, she was confident in her own allure too. She knew how to move, how to catch the male gaze. She had made the first move after all. Drunkenly, but _still_ …

"Oh really?" Shen swaggered over, purposely lifting her arms a bit to bare a slip of her belly. "I guess we'll have to make time later babe. For now though, we should probably think about lunch."

Daen chuckled. "We spoiled our meal I take it? We can always order in, perhaps Kalen will share his father's love for sugary meat." Shen could already see the glaze of hunger coming over his eyes at the thought.

Daen loved his orange chicken, in all its fried glazed, glory.

"He'll definitely be rounder." Shen teased. "You both will have that in common soon enough."

"I have high stamina dear heart, you know me." Flirting tone again. Of course he didn't know how to stop.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes I do. Now, grab our kid." Shen moved past the couch towards the phone, tipping her shoulder to gaze back at him. "I'm going to order a late lunch and you're going to save my hair brush."

"He can't keep it?"

"No Daen."

00oo00oo00oo00

It turned out that the recovery of the hair brush was not so simple a task as Daen thought. He had allowed the infant a few more whacks on the floor (and one on his palm) before moving to grab ahold of the handle.

Kalen immediately tugged back, and they found themselves in a struggle of sorts. A duel even, dark eyes looking up with almost a glower of defiance.

Daen chuckled, using his free hand to brush at the top of his son's head. "That is not yours Kalen, your mother needs it. For her lovely mane. Do you want mother's hair to tangle up?"

The baby said nothing, only peered up at him with those dark wet looking eyes. Like two pools of dark water, like the shell of a beetle, or a _kamdil_ , from Sanghelios. Large beetle like creatures that dug pits in desert regions, hiding until they felt vibrations in the ground, the tilt of sand, their bodies erupting from the soil to capture prey.

Kalen seemed just as ready to make his move as the _kandil_ , and Daen shrugged his mandibles lightly as the childling pulled back on the brush again with surprising strength.

"He won't relent Shen." Daen called over to his wife. Shen was currently on hold for their food order. She merely turned a shoulder to frown at him.

"Those bristles are sharper than they look. Might take an eye out or something."

"This is why sangheili don't have hair." Daen snorted.

"I know you like petting it sugar, so if you want to keep the privilege, you better get my brush back."

She was right of course. Daen enjoyed touching her hair, it was a thick mane of ebony and seemed to collect all the colors in a room. It was soft and smelled like her. Womanly, fresh, with a hint of something woodsy.

Back to the task at hand. "Kalen." Daen said to the childling. "That is for your mother's mane. Do you want it to tangle and fray? I think she will be quite upset with the two of us if you don't relinquish it."

Kalen of course, continued to attack the floor, paying him no mind. Daen sighed, and reached forward. Once again there was a tugging match, but this time Daen forced his hand.

That is when the fireworks started.

"What the hell?" It was a screeching sound that had the phone tumbling free from Shen's grip, hands clapping over her now throbbing ears.

Kalen was making a sound that was split between a fire alarm and a nightmare unleashed from the fiery depths of somewhere deep and terrifying. Shen was pretty sure she had heard the same sound in a horror movie…or that time she had dropped a bracelet in a blender accidently.

"He is a loud one!" Daen had to yell over the sound.

Shen gritted her teeth, and she felt them vibrate. Hell. "Give him the brush, now!"

"But—"

"Daen!"

Finally, the brush had been returned, and the sound ceased. Shen stared, dumbfounded, slowly removing her hands from her ears. It had ended as quickly as it had begun.

They watched as Kalen continued his game of 'smack the brush against things' which was currently his father's leg. Punishment dealt by a tiny stubborn sangheili. Daen just allowed it to happen, his skin thick enough that it wasn't even close to painful, and he knew the babe would feel empowered by the action. He knew enough to expect that.

A painful memory came up of events in the past, of the last time he had played with other young sangheili, a child himself. He remembered how he had been forced eventually, to leave play behind, and work inside with his uncles. Studying, being knocked over with hard sticks in the training room. The brush would stay, for now. He didn't want a sour note to ring again.

It reminded him too much of a time when he was denied as a child the innocence of play, and of being young and free from responsibilities.

Daen sighed, rolling a hand against the back of his neck. "Well, I suppose we will need to replace it."

Shen laughed. "Yeah." She cleared her throat, giving him a wary smile. "So do all sangheili give that…level of sound? It was something…I thought we were going to have to replace some windows."

"His voice will change as he grows." Daen said. "But the volume stays the same.

"Goody."

"Giving up already Shen?"

"No, but how the heck are we going to get him to listen when he does… _that_. Is this the terrible twos? He's supposed to be like, what, a baby still?"

"Infancy yes, but he's growing into his second year, I can tell." Daen said.

"Shit."

Sometime later the baby had given up on playing with the hairbrush, and was instead, moving about on his own. He did not crawl however, he ambled like a toddler, which had Shen following him around, trying her best to block his path to more dangerous zones, like the kitchen or bathroom.

Shit, they still had to baby-proof the house. How were they allowed out the door with this kid? Shen didn't know when it would feel second nature, this parenting thing.

"He's good at walking, huh Daen?"

"We are capable of much movement out of the shell."

"You don't say." She sighed.

The next twenty minutes continued the same until the doorbell rang, and their food order arrived. Shen made sure to leave Daen in control of baby following, and moved to get the door.

It was usually Shen who had to greet visitors.

Unfortunately they had an issue often where people did not expect a sangheili to answer the door, and ensuing chaos often occurred. So it was always Shen at the door, and then a slow introduction of Daen if it had to reach that point.

Most of the time, when Daen answered, it was food thrown into the air, dropped, or having the person retreat a few awkward feet before accepting that the 'monster' in front of them was just another kind of person, and one who had ordered food and expected to get what they paid for.

It was difficult, being in an interspecies relationship especially. People were quick to judge them, and they had been attacked via mail and internet by hostile strangers. With an investigation, the police found the messages to have originated from Sapian Sunrise members.

Sapian Sunrise was a group who believed in human supremacy and constantly preached against friendly alien relations and encouraged distrust and war against the 'alien menace'. Most of their material originated from dark historical accounts, of the war between the long-dead Covenant and humanity…a war that very nearly destroyed all sentient life.

Instead of trying to unite all sentient species, Sunrise agents stood only for one. They were radicals who saw no benefit in human-alien relations, and aggressively attacked people in situations such as Shen and Daen's.

At one time they had received threats in the way of unmarked boxes and emails thick with racial slurs and violent suggestions. The boxes usually contained dead animals, usually lizards or amphibians, one time it had even been some kind of alien fish. It was a message to Daen specifically, but Shen had also received some distasteful imagery online, of human men threatening to rape and 'fix' her.

Psychotics, the whole lot of them. Shen was happy, she loved Daen, and she loved Kalen. She wanted other people to see Daen as a person, as a man deserving of respect, but in this day and age, there was no helping it.

Shen carried the warm brown bag of food stuffs into the dining room, inhaling the scent of chicken and vegetables with relish. She dropped it onto the table and went to find Daen and his tiny charge.

She heard Daen laugh and followed the sound of his voice into their bedroom.

The sheets were still a mess as they usually left it. They both didn't see much of a point of making it when they used it so often. It was a good place to cuddle and read together, watch holo-vids, and…other things.

Daen was currently sitting on the bed with Kalen. The infant sangheili was in his lap, almost climbing up the older male's torso, legs sliding as the childing sought to sit up straight.

Shen smiled at the sight. "He just can't get enough of you." It was true. The way the baby's hands touched Daen, grabbing at the material at his front, head twisting about, as if he was searching for something.

Daen turned his neck to look at her. "He is curious. Learning." He motioned for her to come over, using his other hand to hold the babe steady on his lap. "Let him touch you."

"Okay." Shen felt nervous. What if he didn't like the feel of her? He would know she was alien. He had to. Did sangheili babies reject parents they felt were inefficient…different? She could perform as a mother, surely, she could feed him, hold him, love him as if he had originated from her own body. What if he didn't feel that way, though, instinctively?

Shen took a seat carefully by Daen, little Kalen immediately noticing the new presence as her slight weight settled on the mattress. Daen moved his arm and allowed the infant to move towards his wife, who he knew was nervous by the way she smiled like she was grimacing.

"It will be fine Shen." Daen promised. "Kalen just wants to know his mother."

Mother. Shen felt something like pride, and she wasn't sure why. She hadn't birthed him, but the idea of being his mother made her happy. That was enough for confidence to take hold.

"Hey baby." Shen cooed to the little sangheili, whose head turned up, mandibles pressing together at the sound of her voice. "We're so happy you're finally home."

She swallowed as he began to move onto her lap, moving forward with surprisingly energy. Shen found herself straightening her spine as he sat up, Kalen already moving towards her face.

Shen felt his hand before she saw it, wincing at the light tug on a strand of hair. _Oh boy..._ He had found her weakness. It brought back memories of her mother screeching at her to stop whining as she pulled a thick plastic comb through her hair. She had always had a sensitive scalp of course.

Luckily the babe moved onto the coral beads in a string at her neck, and she allowed him to twist his fingers around the strand, dipping her chin so that he didn't choke her. He was easily fascinated by objects it seemed.

A fantasy played in her mind of buying him new toys, soft ones, hard fun shapes, things that hummed and sang…

Shen smiled at Daen as he wrapped an arm around her.

This was going to be an amazing experience, it was as if her life was truly starting now.

She was ready, scared…but it was the beginning. That was always the most difficult part it seemed.

She was sure now, they could manage. It was the two of them after all, they were a team. It would work out.

But first, food.

00oo00oo00oo00

Problems. There could not be a contrast of what made a day great, without comparing first, the bad. Unfortunately their first night as parents, was going not quite as Shen thought it would.

"He swallowed the whole thing." Shen wrung her hands, still wondering how the hell the kid had managed it. "And I thought your mouth was big." She caught his amused gaze with a glance and made a face. "One sex joke and you're sleeping on the couch bub."

"I said nothing." Daen laughed. "And I ate stranger things as a childing. I once swallowed a light fixture."

"Yeah, yeah, babe, I know. Your race is vastly superior to mine, but humans still invented diapers first, so, you're welcome." Shen shook her head. How did that even work? Shen cringed at the thought. Apparently young sangheili weren't equipped with…anything.

"We don't need them." Daen shot back. "Our young are smart enough to signal their care givers when they are ready to…expel their waste."

Shen gave him a long look. "How? Sign language?"

Daen wasn't looking at her anymore however, and she followed his gaze to Kalen who was sitting awfully still on the kitchen floor. "No, they make peculiar facial expressions."

"You mean like— _oh come on_!" Shen could already smell the tar like scent of something unpleasant in the air. _It_ …it had happened. Again.

Kalen had already proven his willfulness by sneaking off, after eating his fill of chow mein, into the bathroom to somehow open the cabinet and eat two washcloths and half a sponge. Now he was preparing to fill their morning with yet another surprise.

"Your turn sugar." Shen said before Daen could finish a breath. "I need a drink."

"But you're the female." Daen said. "Have you not been taught about child care?"

"What century are we living in, and yes, that is not an actual question, I'm apparently the only one who really knows." Shen sighed. "Daen, because I love your scaly ass I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

"Say what?"

"I changed him last time, it's your turn babe. I had him, literally, up to my elbows earlier. Yeah, and just because I have female parts, doesn't mean I'm an expert in child care. If we were stranded in the wild, you would survive a hell of a lot longer than me. That and bugs like me more than you."

Sangheili and their stupid immunity to pretty much everything. _Sigh._ Shen wondered how the heck humanity had come so far with so many weaknesses.

Daen drew a shoulder back to stretch an arm overhead. "Fine, I'll have him this time, but you're next. In the meantime, you can start breakfast, _wife_."

"Sure thing _honey_." Shen stuck her tongue out, and shimmied past him, giving her hips a little swagger to tease him as she went by. Daen and she constantly found ways to prickle each other's nerves just enough to look forward to playing on silent promises later.

Of course with a baby in the house, they would have to find a way to schedule… _those times_ , appropriately.

That or find a babysitter who didn't mind babies who could eat pretty much anything, and eject most of what they ate in less than an hour.

Shen shivered as she heard Daen voice his disgust with a ragged snort from behind her. She couldn't escape to the kitchen fast enough.

Shen filled a glass full of grape juice, her lips twisting into a smile as her taste buds lit up with the tartness of it. She tossed the now empty container into the garbage canister, added juice to the consistently updated grocery list in her brain, and sipped the drink again.

Daen approached her from behind, minutes later, and Shen giggled as she felt his fingers slide lazily over both hips.

"Already done, did you wash your hands?" She asked, turning to move past him to the table, sitting the glass down. He followed, and she could hear the tremor in his voice.

"I did. It was a messy affair." Daen admitted. "I had to put him in the sink."

Shen did turn around, frowning. "You put him in the sink… _wait_ …where is he now?"

"I—. " Daen looked confused. Shen recognized that look, like the time he had forgotten their plane tickets in the gambling room of the airport. They had almost missed their own honeymoon. All that sex on the beach, throwing back exotic drinks they couldn't pronounce the name of…accidental destruction of a vase and one poorly constructed mattress…it had almost never been…

Those were times she was sorely missing now.

"Did you…Daen! Did you leave Kalen in the _bathroom_?"

He turned around, looking winded, and Shen watched wordlessly as he retreated from the room and Shen watched him go, feeling both horrified and strangely amused. Dammit, they were awful parents.

Much later (once they had retrieved Kalen from the sink, who fortunately was too busy staring at himself in the mirror to move) they sat down in their bedroom.

It was only seven-thirty, but already Shen was exhausted, and she wondered if Daen felt the same way. By the look on his face, she guessed he could do with a nap at the very least. He was making that face where his mandibles folded in a lazy way, something she had determined over time, to be weariness, or mental frustration.

Pleased by her observational skills, Shen smiled as Daen uttered a long yawn, his mandibles sawing with the motion of it.

A moment later and Daen voiced her own thoughts, to her relief. "Maybe it is time to put him to rest. I could do with a short rest."

Shen agreed. "We can try out that, wall, thing you were talking about. He will probably be fine."

"I know he will be fine." Daen chuckled. "You seem to think he's made of glass."

"Hey now, you left him in the sink. We need to be more careful than that."

The sangheili's face scrunched up. "Yes, that. It was my mistake, but I'm sure he would have been fine."

"I guess I'm going to be the un-fun one then." Shen sighed. "Like those stupid movies Aunt Karen watches. The ones where there is the doting overprotective parent who gets kicked to the curb in 'likability' by the fun father figure. It's almost always a woman."

Daen planted a hand firmly on her shoulder, with enough weight she made a face at him. He was fully aware of the effect however, and she squeaked as he pushed her down across his lap.

Shen felt heat wash over her cheeks, and kissed under his mandibles, but retreated when she recalled that Kalen was with them. They couldn't behave badly as usual, and that part hadn't come to mind, before the whole parent thing.

Admittedly, it had been a while since they were…intimate. Shen was getting a bit bothered by that. It seemed even stronger now that they had a child of course… _those_ feelings.

Damn.

00oo00oo00oo00

"You guys have a kid now? Oh my gosh, that is great!" The other woman practically squeaked.

Shen smiled through the straw in her mouth, sucking the beverage airily across her tongue.

It was another new day of being parents, and Daen had insisted that he take Kalen to visit his sangheili friends on the outskirts of the city. That district, the Dobei District, named for an activist for alien rights (who was killed in a terrorist attack many years ago), was mostly inhabited by Daen's people, though there were a few unggoy who didn't seem to mind their much taller neighbors.

The unggoy even had their own small greenhouse like building that pumped methane gas into an environment like an indoor park. Shen had not been able to visit herself, but she had heard about it from an excitable unggoy colleague who had told her it had reminded him of his home world.

There would always be those who wished to disrupt progress and peace, of course, so Shen was still worried about them in that area. Knowing there was no real point to worrying about something that probably wouldn't happen, she tried to appear at ease in current company.

Embry and she had something else in common besides their interest in baser gossip of course. Though they had met originally at the grocery store, both reaching for the celebrity gossip trash that was apparently a common guilty pleasure, they were both dating 'aliens.'

Embry however, was in it with the most conflicting race one could choose to have a relationship with, even many long years after war and social clashes. They were not just disliked strongly by many humans, but also the brasher sangheili members.

The San'Shyuum was already returning from the drink vendor with Ember's refill and his own, both drinks balanced in only a slightly trembling grip.

Jonis was one of the many independents living in New Canson. He did not make use of a gravity belt, like many others, but instead worked with doctors to improve on himself with both exercise and medicine.

He insisted on doing most of anything for his girlfriend, something Shen thought he had in common with most men. He didn't want to appear weak, unable to care or provide for her. In general, his race was known as the most physically weak aside the unggoy.

Of course, if someone had told her that her species had run its course and should just 'die out naturally' she'd probably try to prove them wrong too.

People could be so outspoken and cruel.

"Jonie, do you think it's going to rain?" Embry asked him when he carefully took a seat in the chair next to her own. "I swear no one knows what's going on these days. It was supposed to be sunny skies, but look! Grey clouds."

Shen cast an amused glance at her friend as she continued to gripe about the weather. It did seem a bit gusty today, but damn if Embry didn't like to complain. She found it kind of refreshing honestly.

Maybe they both were just super outspoken about things.

"Perhaps. I'm sure at least the trees will hear about it before we do." Jonis said in that sweet clear voice of his, something that Embry had admitted, had drawn her to him before anything else. Embry had always complained about how human men had treated her in the past, and had joked about going the same direction as Shen. Interspecies dating.

And here they were.

"Well, I just had my hair done, so if one of those grey puffs floats over here, I'm out."

"Can't you just do a do-over? Literally." Shen snorted.

" _Cute._ No, this is a new gel." Embry slipped her fingers across her scalp as if trying to communicate the feeling of it. "It tingles something crazy, but it's supposed to turn me honey blond with a few waves."

"I like your hair." Shen said. "Black is sexy, don't you like her hair Jonis?"

The San'Shyuum chuckled. "I'm afraid Embry doesn't see it that way, not as I do."

"You can't take her side, you jerk." Embry said teasingly. "Or I'm not necking you tonight."

Shen choked on her drink. Of course Embry was _very_ outspoken.

Jonis was the one who was embarrassed, averting his eyes away from them, but then he changed the subject, sounding relieved to be able to, "Your husband and child are here." He looked past Embry's shoulder, and Shen followed his gaze.

Shen saw Daen before he had crossed the green near the park fountain. She waved him over, already feeling a smile come over her lips at the sight of Kalen in his arms.

It was due time to introduce their son to fun in parks. Slides, swings…and then Shen's thoughts derailed, and she frowned at the other presence coming off Daen's shoulder.

"Shen." The other sangheili said shortly, barely sparing her a glance.

"Rondo. Hi." Not enthused whatsoever.

Shen didn't understand it to be honest. Daen insisted on keeping him around, even when she was certain her presence bothered him. It was just weird, and slightly annoying.

"I should go." Rondo said to Daen, and Shen watched as he rubbed Kalen across the head. "Good bye Kalen, don't irritate your father."

Without regarding Shen further, the dusty gray sangheili retreated down the walk.

"So, did you two have fun?" Shen asked, unwilling to argue in front of her friend and their son. They would talk later though. She just really wanted to know what was up with that guy, and why Daen didn't seem to speak up about his iciness around her. Bros won this one, apparently.

She almost envied Jonis's sweet mannerism with Embry. He wasn't afraid to talk about these things, all those things. He was actually very emotionally aware.

It was sometimes freaky. Like a sixth sense.

Like the last time she had been grouchy at 'that time of the month,' and visiting her friend, Jonis had made her some tea and told her it would help her muscles relax. Like he knew she was crampy, and bitchy, and hormonal.

 _And loved tea…_

"Han was quite taken with him, and his wife's son was fond of the playtime." Daen chuckled. "I couldn't separate the two at first. It will be good of them to grow up together."

She gave him a small smile. "That's great." Shen stood up, giving her friend an apologetic look. "I should head out Em. Kalen is probably hungry."

Daen sighed. "Yes, I came to fetch you for lunch actually. Kalen wants to eat…things."

"Let me guess, there are new holes in my seat?"

"I wasn't quick enough."

Shen sighed, but she wasn't too concerned. She had already given up on the organization of her past life. Chaos it was, then so be it. She loved their family…and objects were replaceable.

"See you guys later." Embry said. "Might be quick—"She wrinkled her nose. "Ah shit, I told you! Rain drop!" She stood up, raising her cup up like a shield over her hair. "Jonis, that's our cue."

Jonis shook his head, smiling gently at her. Shen followed his gaze to Embry, and recalled her own husband, and felt a longing. Rain gently rang on the concrete table, and in the back of her head she could hear Embry shriek, _I knew it!_

Shen didn't have to look for Daen, as she felt him come up behind her, and the warmth of his arm wrap her in his embrace.

"Ready to go home?" He asked, tucking her under his chin, Kalen on the other side. Shen rested her head lower, listening to the hearty thump of his two giant hearts.

"You bet."

 _But we are still having that talk._

 **Sorry guys! Took a little longer than planned, but you can thank a 'guest' for this one. I had most of it done, but he or she, encouraged me to go on ahead and finish it up.**

 **I'm glad you guys like my work, I'll try and update more often. Just in the midst of Spring semester, so not on as much as I like. Hope you guys liked this chapter, until next time…**

 **:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Parenthood Ch.3**

"Rondo, really?"

"Your friends visit often, am I not allowed the same privilege?" Irritation. _Of course._

She was also irritated. It was just a fact of the situation.

As soon as they managed to get Kalen to sleep at the center of their bed, Shen had asked her husband about his sangheili friend. She couldn't lie. It bugged her so much how Daen could be friends with someone so cold towards her.

"He acts like I'm a gross insect." Shen argued, gently closing the door behind them as they retreated to argue away from the sleeping child. "He does this noddy tilt-head thing at me, or makes a noise under his breath. It's rude."

Daen paused, leaning against the wall near the kitchen entryway. "He is just that way."

"Not with you." Shen said. "He doesn't act coldly towards you, but me? How can you be alright with that?"

Daen's breath hissed through the points of his teeth slowly. "He just…doesn't like—"

"Humans?"

" _Women."_

Shen paused, taken aback. That she did not expect. In her own defiance of people's dislike of their own coupling, she was always pulling the 'they hate me because I'm human/you're alien,' card.

It was hard not to feel defensive. If it was not this, it was always something else.

"Why?" She asked, now curious more so than angry. Maybe it was a bad family situation? Now she felt bad for asking, almost. Was there an excuse for rudeness, really?

"He is a swordsman," Daen said. "But from an older family. They like to keep to the old ways. He does not wish to befriend any woman, because he is not allowed to marry."

"I'm taken though." Shen laughed, then looked at him seriously. "Unless you're planning on sharing me."

She smirked as his mandibles parted in surprise at her suggestion. "Of course not, but it is merely a habit for him now. He distances himself from all females, it is for his own sake."

Shen frowned. She couldn't imagine having to obey such a silly rule. Never marry? It was baffling how stupid things from the past could still exist so far into the future.

"Why? That sounds stupid, no offense to long-standing cultural ideas on Sangheilios." _Eyes so rolled back into my head I could see my brain…_

"I agree." Daen hummed. "But unfortunately for Rondo, he will have to obey this rule or he would be forced from his keep. He is only here for two years, as a response to original treaty of goodwill between our races."

Shen was very young when it was first introduced. To build trust between humans and sangheili, each keep was required to send the occasional member of their household to a human colony. It was an attempt to immerse people in an unfamiliar place, to possibly encourage new cultural participation between races.

Rondo of course, she couldn't figure out how he could fit there. Quite possibly, as Daen said, he was only coldly distant from females, but males? If Daen liked to hang out with the guy, then he was probably pretty vocal at the very least with him…

"Fine." Shen sighed, she tossed her arms up, ready to drop the subject, and moved to take a seat on the sofa. "So, what now?"

Daen took a seat next to her, and she shivered lightly as she felt his large fingers creep over her shoulder. His warm breath tickled her ear, and she couldn't help but giggle as he brushed a mandible against her cheek gently.

"Now." He said huskily. "We can get around to that other thing."

Shen grinned up at him, already scooting closer. "Oh…what thing are you referring to?"

She squeaked as he suddenly tossed her backwards and she went sprawling to the other end of the sofa, a fluffy pillow flying off into the floor. Hopefully she would follow soon enough. She was such a child, but there was something fun about rolling around on the floor…especially with a partner.

She heard his fangs click in his mouth as he tucked in his mandibles. Already knowing what was coming, she lay there on her back, already feeling the tightening coil of arousal as he moved to crawl over her, casting her in the dark shadow of his body.

"Where I make you scream loud enough that you wake our child." Daen purred, dropping down to roll his long hot torso over her belly in teasing strokes.

"Oh please no." Shen laughed, though it came out more as a gasp. His body was very warm, as always, as hot as a stone under a desert sun. She felt her heart pick up pace. He was getting to her easily. As usual. The energy between them was always strong, like this pulse they could just feel in the air. A vibration of sexual intrigue. A constant when they were alone.

One day they would be perverted old people, doing suggestive eye things, running around the house naked—sans junior. She almost looked forward to it.

"Will you play?" Daen asked, his fingers stroking her neck, and she turned her head to allow him to roll his digits down the length of it, sighing softly at the warmth of his touch.

"I love games." Shen said, blinking up at him through her lashes. "I guess you'll have to be surprised though, because I'm not going to tell you all the things I'm going to do to that body." Her fingers pulled at the muscles at his back, her teeth grinning whitely.

"Many things?" He asked, intrigued, his eyes widening slightly with what she knew was primal interest in something only her kind possessed. Well, all woman kind, but Shen was pretty sure she was a champion at the actual action of it. He never complained…

Shen sat up quickly, pulling one arm around his back to bring them together. Soft lips gusted out a heavy breath at his neck, and she felt the thunder of his two hearts as they closed the gap. "Yes. Everything."

00oo00oo00oo00

A week later and it was the dreaded day come at last.

Shen tried not to yell out as Kalen grabbed at her hair again. Damn he really loved doing that.

Currently they were standing in line at the office, the very office that had helped them bring Kalen home and into their lives. As part of the process, they were required to meet at this building once a month, for a year.

It was part of an evaluation process that had Shen anxious. They could easily decide that Kalen was no longer a fit in their home, and take him away forever. She had completely forgotten that part of the documents they had signed. It made sense of course.

"It will be fine." Daen told her again, noticing Shen's nervous nibbling at her bottom lip, eyes looking towards the door at the end of the room.

"Yes." Shen tried to agree, but she didn't feel confident. This was their first time doing this, so that was probably why. After this meeting, it would probably go swimmingly and be less painful than she imagined. Hopefully.

How long would this take exactly? They had been waiting for twenty minutes, yet it felt like forever.

 _Just your nerves Shen. Chill. Geez._

"Kalen Edoom?"

Shen smiled when she heard the voice. They had officially given Kalen their name at adoption, and she was still giddy when she heard it spoken in full.

She stood up quickly to move towards the now open door with Daen close behind.

The woman who had opened the door was a short round lady with tight red curls held away from her face with bobby pins. "Right this way."

They eventually had followed the woman to a room labelled simply: D24. Shen and Daen shared a glance before pulling open the door and stepping inside, the red haired lady was already retreating back down the hall.

Shen stopped in the doorway, wincing as Kalen gave another short tug at her hair, Daen bumped into her lightly as she stopped halfway through the door. She had hesitated.

This she did _not_ expect.

The woman, the sangheili woman, stood, nodding her neck in a sweeping graceful downturn, looking at them appraisingly from across a round table. "Hello, you must be Kalen's new family." Her voice was soft. Friendly.

Shen relaxed, but was still a bit puzzled. She supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised. As they had been working mostly with humans to adopt Kalen, he was still a sangheili himself.

"Hello." Shen said with a quick smile. She took a seat carefully, positioning Kalen carefully on her lap. "I'm Shen."

"Gree." The sangheili woman replied.

 _"Gree?"_

Daen's voice was loud, almost startled. Shen looked at him as he carefully took a seat next to her, but his eyes were not on her. He was staring at Gree as if he was seeing a ghost.

"You…?" Gree paused, a frown on her mandibles, but then a lightness came over her dark eyes, and she dipped her head in a slight nod. "Daen? It has been long since we've seen one another."

Daen thrummed, a smile turning his mandibles. "It has been many years, hasn't it? How is your brother?"

"Ab'bin is fine." Gree said. "I hadn't realize you settled here. You are the one who married the hu—." The sangheili slack-jawed for a moment, as if realizing herself suddenly. "I apologize." She said to Shen. Her mandibles tucked in shame. "I don't mean to make small news of it."

"It's fine. Been there done that" Shen said. "So you two know each other?"

"Yes." Gree's voice had risen with excitement. "We attended shrine together, during the festival of Turning Sand."

"Turning sand?" Shen frowned, confused.

Gree laughed. "It is a month long celebration of the founding members of my keep, of Hashom. Daen was visiting with his own keep, our lines have crossed a few times throughout history."

Daen tapped a finger under one mandible as he reminisced. "You were fond of stealing me away in the evening to cause trouble."

"Oh really?" Gree's mandibles tucked into a firm smile. "You were the one dragging me around underfoot."

"Either way." Daen said. "It is good to see you again. You are who we were meeting?"

"I am your check-in, to evaluate the child and ensure he is safe and healthy." Gree said. "It is not enough that human doctors perform evaluation, there is still suspicion by sangheili council, unfortunately, but of course, none against you personally." Once again the woman looked to Shen.

"No problem! Well." Shen forced a small smile, hoisting Kalen up in her arms. "Here he is."

"Yes." Gree smiled. "He looks quite healthy, may I?" The sangheili woman was already stepping around the table, arms reaching out.

Shen pushed back her chair carefully. She felt relief in her muscles as the woman collected Kalen in her arms. He was getting so heavy already.

Kalen was already reaching for Gree's mandibles with grasping fingers, her own long fingers brushing a free hand over his long head.

Shen felt a tightness in her chest, a sort of burdening feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. She realized what it was a moment later, when she saw how Gree looked with Kalen. Like she could easily be viewed as his own mother.

Shen drew a quick deep breath, trying to dispel the negative thoughts taking residence in her mind.

"He is lovely." Gree rumbled with a sangheili purr of endearment. "Such a healthy glow in his eyes, and such strong arms!"

Daen was already at her side, looking down at his son, no _their_ son, with a look of pride on his face.

Shen just felt like a wounded puppy. It was silly of course, she knew why she felt the way she did, but they did look like a perfect family. Already Kalen was heavy in her arms, and soon he would be running around much taller than even human men, and maybe he would forget about her entirely.

She crossed her arms across her chest, hating how empty they felt. She just wanted to hurry and get this over with. Surely this Gree could see how healthy and happy everyone was. It was a perfect fit, even if it didn't fit the idealized image of a sangheili family.

A long stream of questions and a short physical later, and she got her wish.

00oo00oo00oo00

The ride home was quiet of conversation, with nothing but the steady drumming of rain on the windshield. It had started just after they left the office of course, and now Shen was cold and tired, even though the day hadn't started out as so.

"You are pale." Daen remarked when he pulled into the drive of their home. "Go up and rest, I will bring Kalen."

"No." Shen insisted, feeling that twisting pain in her heart again. "I have him," she insisted.

She unbuckled him from his seat and already he was pushing forward eagerly, hands grasping a little too hard at her shoulders.

Shen ignored the pain and positioned her hand under his rump and pushed him onto one hip, closing the door of the car with the other. Home at last.

The walk up to the door was a bit slick, but she managed alright, until she felt a slip in her heel and seemed to fall forward in slow motion.

Shen reacted as well as she could in the sudden happening of these events, and quickly bowed forward into Kalen. She pushed him deeper into her arms, trying to fall onto her side than her front.

It didn't happen quite the way she wanted, and she cried out as a sharp pain erupted in her leg. Immediately she felt Daen's arms, and quickly pushed Kalen into them, luckily still calm and safe.

"Dammit." She hissed. "Step was too wet." Of course it was raining harder now too.

"Are you alright?" Daen helped her up with a firm tug upward, Kalen resting in his left arm, seemingly unbothered by the spill.

"Yes." She winced as she landed on both feet. She could already feel the bruise throbbing hotly across her thigh. "Just a bit bruised I think."

They stood there in the rain for only a few seconds before Shen began to laugh. And then cry.

Daen looked back in surprise, having been prepared to open the door for them both. She was just standing there, wet, and creating even more moisture in the tears drawing lines down her face.

"I-I'm sorry." Shen choked. "I'm just a big clumsy idiot."

Daen pulled her close to his chest, right next to Kalen who was looking up at the rain clouds above them. Shen sniffled into his warm chest, feeling like a giant child herself.

If Kalen had been a human baby, he might have been seriously harmed. Even as he was, she could have hurt him. Just after today it was like some kind of sign. That she really was a terrible parent.

"No one plans for these things to happen." Daen explained as they walked down the hallway towards their room. "You reacted as best as you could. And see, Kalen is fine. You are fine."

Shen slumped down onto their sofa, Kalen already walking across the floor to grab at a stack of magazines she had forgotten to put away. Another foggy brain, I'm a-terrible-mother, sign.

"I'm just so mad." Shen swiped furiously at the tears still on her face, hating the itchy feel of them. "I get so addle-brained so often. What if he had been hurt?"

Daen huffed in a way she knew was frustration. "It was an accident. The walk was wet, there was no helping it. I could have easily done the same."

"Yeah right." Shen laughed bitterly. "Sangheili never take spills on the sidewalk. You guys have statues the size of buildings of your species for a reason."

"What?" Daen asked. "I don't understand what you mean."

"The great sangheili warrior." Shen explained. "You guys are like gods of graceful fury or something. You always seem to be nimble on your feet while we humans keep stumbling around like moronic giraffes."

"What long necked animals have to do with this, I will never understand."

"It was the first animal that came to mind. I like giraffes."

"Yet, you call them moronic."

Shen laughed at that. Daen of course, with his blunted way of things. So were most of the sangheili. Many of them still seemed confused about sarcasm. Daen himself had actually been pleased when he finally 'got it.' Like it was some kind of super-secret ability to annoy people.

"Silence you." Shen sighed and rolled onto her side, hissing lightly under her breath at the burning pain at her thigh. Definitely bruised.

Daen pulled her close and she nested against his neck, in-between his strong arms, watching their son began to rip into the magazine pile he had invaded. Whoops.

"There goes the coupons." Shen said, but didn't move. She was much too comfortable. Daen was warm. Of course now her mind was thinking to earlier events and she smiled as he rolled his fingers across the slip of skin bared at the curve of her hip.

"There will be more." Already he was slipping a finger under her blouse, and she giggled as he tickled her with the motion of his intrusion.

Shen sighed as she moved closer, pulling her head back to kiss him lightly under his lower mandibles. "I hope so."

He drew in a sharp breath as her fingernails slipped gently down the shirt of his tunic. "I believe we are talking about something different now."

Shen smiled. "You better believe it."

They both watched Kalen for a moment, the child blissfully tearing the magazines into jagged strips, and quietly but with intent clear on their faces, moved even closer. Daen threw off his shirt, and Shen hurriedly began pulling her own camisole over her head, swearing as it caught against her hairclip, and he chuckled, quickly freeing her from the clip and her shirt.

"You look hungry honey." Shen teased, laying back, bare toes brushing up against his thighs. He was half bent over the couch, and her. She welcomed his hungry graze, it made her feel quite delicious actually.

Maybe this day didn't have to end badly after all.

As her husband moved to nuzzle her neck gentle with his lower mandibles, she tried not to think about how he looked with that other woman. How this whole thing was so strange to other people that maybe perhaps they were out of their minds…

Then of course, he used those hands again, and she laughed into his neck, kissing him lightly at the bend of his sweeping neck, taking in the sweet leathery scent of him, as he whispered teasing compliments in her ears.

The long ripping sound of magazines was only in the background, with just a few glances from the both of them to ensure he was still in one piece, but soon she could only hear the sound of their heavy breathing as they came together as one.

 **Sorry guys, I've been super busy with other real-life things. But I'm not giving up anything yet. I placed some hotter bits in here because it felt due, and it's also fun to write. XD Hope you enjoyed. Next one updated should be Peerless I think, but we'll see. This is a little shorter than I like, but I'll try and keep more consistent updates later on. Thanks for reading!  
**


End file.
